Figure 3.2: Rainfall anomalies (in %) averaged over summer (December-February) seasons

Text description of figure

Typical rainfall anomaly patterns in New Zealand associated with El Niño and La Niña summers. During El Niño, the southwest and west of the South Island is more than fifteen or twenty percent wetter than usual, and the northeast and east of the North Island and the north and east of the South Island becomes drier than normal with these areas receiving less than eighty percent of average summer rainfall. During La Niña, it is much drier than normal (less than eighty percent of the average) in the west and south of the South Island, and wetter than usual in the north and northeastern corner of the North Island: more than one hundred and twenty percent of average in Northland, and up to one hundred and ten percent of average in Gisborne and Hawkes Bay.